Public warned of IMPOSTERS who defraud and scam

The Ministry of Small Business Development is warning the public about imposters who have created several fake Facebook accounts which appear to belong to the Minister of Small Business Development, Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams.

Recently, the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) also received several reports of individuals purporting to be Advocate Andy Mothibi or his representatives.

FAKE ACCOUNTS TO DEFRAUD AND SCAM CITIZENS

The Ministry in a statement, strongly condemned the fraudulent use of the Minister’s name, profile and pictures. The department indicated that the fake accounts are created solely to defraud and scam innocent citizens, especially small business owners.

“We would like to remind and advise all law-abiding citizens that neither Minister Ndabeni-Abrahams nor the department will ever request “upfront fees” from members of the public in exchange for accessing funding or business opportunities.

The Ministry added that to date, they have identified over 25 fake accounts that impersonate Minister Ndabeni-Abrahams.

“We can confirm that the only legitimate Facebook account of the Minister is this one: https://www.facebook.com/stella.ndabeni. Anyone who has already fallen victim to this fraudulent activity is urged to report the matter to the police as soon as possible. The fake accounts have already been reported to Facebook,” the Ministery concluded.

SIU HEAD IMPERSONATION

Meanwhile, the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) has received several reports of individuals purporting to be the Head of the SIU, Advocate Andy Mothibi or his representatives. The individuals according to a statement released by the SIU, go around soliciting money from public representatives, office bearers, and members of the judiciary.

According to the spokesperson of the SIU, Kaizer Kganyago he reports were received in the North West and Free State provinces. He added that this prompted the SIU to issue a public warning.

“The SIU conducts its investigations with integrity and professionalism. We never ask for money from subjects of investigations or anyone linked to our work. Members of the public are urged to be vigilant, verify information, and not fall victim to imposters claiming to be Adv. Mothibi,” Kganyago said.

source:Public warned of IMPOSTERS who defraud and scam (thesouthafrican.com)